Fighting Cancer
Chapter 14		 About Acknowledgments
Dedication Authors Forward
Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Check List

Carefully read each statement and place an "X" on the line where true. 

I am starting off with a positive mental attitude. 
.I do not compare myself with anyone else. 
I do not think of why I got cancer. 
I do not think of why I did not discover my cancer earlier. 
I do not think of what caused my cancer. 
I really have a strong desire to get well. 
I am having my cancer treated as promptly as possible. 
I have a doctor who is qualified to treat cancer. 
I have a doctor who says he can successfully treat me. 
I have a doctor who is totally honest with me. 
I have a doctor who takes time to explain everything about my cancer. 
I have a doctor who answers all my questions so that I understand. 
I have a doctor who I can call anytime when something bothers me. 
I have a doctor who has my complete confidence. 
I have a doctor who is giving me a treatment I believe will be successful. 
I have gotten a qualified second opinion. 
I do not worry about hurting my doctor's feelings. 
I make lists of questions to ask my doctor. 
I am willing to do anything my doctor says I must. 
I take a friend or relative with me when I visit my doctor. 
I take a tape recorder when I visit my doctor. 
I make every effort to take each treatment on schedule. 
I have nothing that is important enough to postpone a cancer treatment for. 
I appreciate the sacrifices others made so I may take treatments. 
I am taking the pain medication the way the doctor recommends it. 
I am finding out all I can about my disease. 
I have called 1-800-4-CANCER to find the state-of-the-art therapy on PDQ. 
I eat a well-balanced diet. 
I make myself eat enough to maintain my weight. 
I do not smoke. 
I have a strong support group of family and/or friends. 
I let my support group know how much I appreciate and need them. I confide in my support group. 
I am happy to answer anyone's questions about how I feel. 
I am willing to discuss my problems with my family or friends. 
I ask my family or friends for help whenever I need it. 
I continuously state that I am going to do everything to beat this disease. 
I try to talk out anything that bothers me. 
I set aside time daily for my personal pleasure. 
I expose myself to humor and laugh whenever possible. 
I am being selfish in that I am doing what I believe is best for myself. 
I give in to myself and rest when I get tired. 
I lead a full life, trying to keep my activities as close to normal as possible. 
I exercise regularly. 
I have pleasant activities planned for whenever I may become depressed. 
I change my thoughts when I become depressed. 
I have goals to shoot for and projects to complete. 
I practice relaxation and imagery 3 times a day. 
I have taken the mental attitude quiz. 
I am finished with any emotional problems I may have had in the past. 
I believe the good things that have happened to me far outweigh the bad. 
I am not afraid to die. 
I say a prayer at least daily. 
I am confident that when cancer is behind me, it will never come back. 
I am making plans for things to do when I am well. 
I am keeping busy and doing everything I am capable of doing. 
I feel I am in charge. I have made a commitment and am doing everything I can to beat my cancer. 

Stop! If you did not honestly check the list, go back and check the boxes that are true. This book was written for one purpose, the same reason you have read it--to help you fight cancer! Go back and re-read each statement that you did not check. Be positive! Start with the assumption that everything applies to you. Don't be negative. Don't assume anything may be fine for someone else but not for you. That particular constructive suggestion is particularly for you! Don't knock it until you have tried it. After you give it a fair trial, then and only then can you honestly say it isn't for you. 

Fighting cancer is not a simple matter of thinking positively, wishing it away and saying "Hey, Doc, cure me." It is a matter of knowledge. It is a matter of educating yourself about every detail and mustering all your resources. Use every drop of energy in an organized fashion to constructively concentrate on getting rid of cancer. Most cancers can be successfully treated, but generally you have only one chance. If you miss that first chance, if you don't do everything in your power, often there is no second chance. This is why no cancer patient can afford the luxury of looking back and saying "I wish I would have..." Never look back. Concentrate on this moment forward and do everything in your power. There is no downside risk. Now you may have a chance. Good luck and God bless you. 


 
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But there is a big difference! Your life probably cannot be erased and corrected after it has been improperly treated like this sheet of paper, even if forty-six out of forty-seven things have been done correctly.